Sarah and Ellie at the Bar
by BillAtWork
Summary: Sarah decides that getting Ellie drunk might just be the thing to make them not so tense. It was a good plan. What could possibly go wrong?


_I still don't own Chuck. I'm not sure who does at this point._

_Okay, so this is a little sappy silliness that came about from a series of discussions between my friend, Lucky47 and me. I originally wrote this scene for her Family Matters story. But she tells me that it's far too good to waste on that story and I should publish it myself. Umm… yeah, I didn't buy that either. :)_

_I was talking to the folks at the ChuckThis Blog and we… well I… decided that maybe I should post it myself. I sure hope I haven't forgotten how. I guess if you're reading this then I didn't… forget, that is._

_This story takes place sometime in early Season 4. That's about as specific as I can get._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review. It only takes a second – and it really, really makes a difference. That's probably more important than ever now that the series has ended. If you want to keep the Chuck fandom alive and continue to read about these characters, you really need to think about rewarding the people whose hard work make that possible._

**Sarah and Ellie at the Bar**

x-x-x-x-x

"Why doesn't your sister like me?"

It had already been an incredibly long day; what with the major dressing down they had just endured courtesy of General Beckman. And Chuck knew that it wasn't really a question anyway. He could tell by the flaring of Sarah's nostrils that it was far more accusation… and that the smart thing would be to pretend that he was suddenly struck dumb… and mute.

If Chuck's plan was to just stand there wordlessly and hope that Sarah would let it drop, well he failed miserably.

"She doesn't think that I'm good for you," Sarah answered her own question as the epiphany hit. "Oh my God, that's it, isn't it?"

Chuck suddenly found a spot on the wall that had a flaw in the paint… or was that a fly?

"Chuck," Sarah said threateningly. "You said something to her, didn't you? What did you say?"

Okay so Ellie had been a little cool towards Sarah lately. It really wasn't that big of a deal. But Chuck watched as his roommate got herself more and more agitated. He knew that his current plan of forgetting how to speak was doomed… and so was he if she didn't calm down soon. "Sarah," he said as calmly as he could. "It's not that she doesn't like you. Come on, she likes you a lot. It's more that she doesn't understand you. She doesn't look at things like a spy does. She doesn't get that not unpacking doesn't mean that you feel…"

"You told her that I haven't unpacked?" Sarah interrupted sadly. "Now I get it. That's a way bigger deal to both of you than it should be."

Chuck watched as Sarah stomped towards the door. "Where are you going?" he asked.

"Next door," she said without turning to face him. "I have to fix this."

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah let Ellie lead her into the bar, one of those sleepy neighborhood type bars where everybody knew everybody. It maybe wasn't much to look at, but it was certainly within walking distance. That was a good thing. Nobody was going to be in any shape to drive any time soon. And it wasn't so far that she wouldn't be able to 'help' Ellie back home.

The place wasn't busy at all. The few people who were there were clearly regulars who called this place part of their home. And they barely lifted their collective heads to acknowledge their presence. That was a very good thing. The last thing that Sarah wanted was to be hit on tonight by some smooth alpha male type telling her how lucky she would be to go home with him, for lots of reasons. First, it happened far too often. It also was certainly not something she wanted to happen in front of Ellie, especially not tonight. But the main reason was because that was something that she didn't want to have to tell Chuck about. And by the smirk on his face when she kissed him goodbye, he was going to want to hear every gory detail of this night.

The honest truth was that Sarah was scared to death. Ellie was actually more protective of Chuck than even she was. And Ellie clearly didn't totally trust her. Not only that, Sarah knew that she was pretty much defenseless in a conversation with the brilliant doctor. None of her tactics when dealing with Chuck would work. She couldn't bit her lip, accidentally bush her chest up against his arm, or when things really got bad, allow a single tear to slide down her cheek. So Sarah was really grateful when Ellie suggested that they go out for a quiet drink and talk. Talking about feelings wasn't Sarah's strength. And Ellie was plainly going to demand that she be candid tonight. Trying to fool her in any way would be stupid. She'd see right through it and make things even worse. Maybe some liquid courage would help.

And then there was this… Ellie probably wasn't aware of how much training an agent received about drinking. It was a favorite tactic of both bad guys and smooth guys to try and get you drunk. So maybe Sarah would enjoy being on the other side of that for once.

There was certainly nothing evil intended on Sarah's part. She knew that she had to fix this with her; at least she had to try. Ellie was far too important to Chuck to have any unresolved tension between them. And Sarah really didn't have a real life girlfriend. Carina was probably the closest… and she tried to seduce Chuck. So getting Ellie sloppy drunk might loosen her up a little. And they could both probably use that. Not only that… once she was semi-helpless it would be a great bonding opportunity for Sarah to help her get safely home. Maybe that would let her know that she had her back, maybe be a major step in actually earning some of that trust from her that she desperately wanted.

Ellie wordlessly led them to the end of the bar and took a seat. There wasn't anybody else close to them. It would be a great place to sit and talk.

Sarah took the seat next to her. She waived at the bartender to get his attention. "What would you like to drink?" she asked with what she hoped was an honestly relaxed smile.

Ellie thought about it for a long moment. "I don't know," she finally said hesitantly. "I saw some people once drinking something and then biting a slice of lemon. It looked like they were having fun. Do you know what it was they were drinking? Maybe vodka?"

Sarah did a double take. _Ellie wanted to do tequila shots?_ That was… unexpected. She fully expected her to order a glass of white wine. But actually it was good news. If her goal was to get Ellie sloppy drunk, what better than shots? "It's tequila," she said with a grin. So she turned to the bartender and handed him her credit card. "Two shots of 1800, two slices of lemon, and the salt shaker," she said. "We'd like to start a tab."

Ellie just looked at the two shot glasses filled with basically clear liquor. "How do you do this?" she asked.

Sarah made no effort to keep the grin from her face. "It's really easy," she said. "First you lick your hand to get the salt to stick," Sarah demonstrated. "Then you shake some salt on it, lick it off, tip up the shot in a single swallow, and then bite into the lemon."

Ellie followed Sarah's lead… and sat the now empty shot glass back on the bar with a cough. "Wow," she said with a face that was contorted with half giggle and half reaction to the burning in her throat.

Sarah couldn't keep the laugh in, not that she was trying in any way. "Don't worry, Ellie," she said as she motioned to the bartender. "The second one goes down easier.

x-x-x-x-x

The next couple of hours proved both ladies were right… in a way.

Sarah was sure right about the tequila. In fact, she was getting righter by the minute. If the second shot went down easier, well the ninth one was downright simple. They weren't even using the lemons any more.

Ellie was even more right about this being what they needed. In fact this getting drunk together thing was proving to be genius.

Sarah was giggling so hard listening to Ellie tell her the story of how she allowed Devon to nail her in a broom closet before she even knew his name that she was having to lean on the bar to stay sitting on the stool. Her sides were hurting from laughing so hard. But what the hell? If Ellie could share such an intimate moment… "Our first time was in Paris. We were on a mission."

That got Ellie giggling again; partly because Sarah had forgotten that she had already told her about Paris an hour ago. And Ellie giggling got Sarah to quickly follow. "You're not serious," Ellie was finally able to get out. "My brother actually got naked on a mission? I'll bet the sex wasn't all that good. He was probably too nervous."

It took Sarah a long time to stop giggling enough to even respond. "You'd be surprised," she was finally able to choke out before helplessly laughing again. It took an even longer time for her to calm down. "Maybe it wasn't our hottest time," she finally said. "But the truth is I was way more nervous than he was."

That got Ellie suddenly serious. "Why?" she asked.

"It was my first time," Sarah answered.

Ellie flashed Sarah a skeptical look.

"No," Sarah quickly corrected. "I didn't mean that. It was the first time in my life that it wasn't just sex, that I was with someone who I honestly loved. Ellie, it was the first time in my life that I had ever made love. It was life changing."

Ellie could sense that Sarah's mood had changed. "That's sweet," she said.

Sarah wasn't making any effort to blink the tears out of her eyes. "I really do love him," she said. "Chuck is my life. I know that you question that… but I do. This is all just so new to me. And the fact is, you're right to question it. I was pissed at him. I was pissed at you. But you were right. I wasn't the kind of girl to fall in love. I fought it as hard as I possibly could. I made him miserable for a long time. But I just couldn't help it. Now sometimes I just don't know what to do for him."

Ellie reached over and gently rubbed Sarah's back with one hand while she motioned to the bartender for their tab with the other. "I don't question it any more," she said. "He loves you just as much. You know that, right?"

"He's insecure," Sarah said sadly. "And he shouldn't be. It's frustrating me, Ellie. Maybe I'm not ready this very second to be a wife and mom… but if he only knew how I felt about him. We'll get there someday soon. How do I make him understand?"

Ellie smiled. "Tell him, sweetie," she said. "Tell him exactly how you just told me. He'll understand. I sure do." She got up from her bar stool. "Come on," she said. "Maybe it's time that we got you home. Do you think that you can walk?"

x-x-x-x-x

One thing was for sure. It took a lot longer to walk home than it had walking to the bar. Ellie was actually doing most of the walking for both of them. And it really didn't help that they were both giggling with every step. But finally they were in the entranceway outside of the apartment. Ellie was trying to balance Sarah against the wall, and not being totally successful. "Do you have your keys?" she asked.

For some reason, like most things tonight, that struck Sarah as funny. "Keys?" she asked through her giggling. "I don't need any stupid keys. I can pick the lock. I'm good at this."

Fortunately, Sarah didn't have to pick the lock. That actually might have taken a while. Chuck heard the noise outside and opened the door to investigate.

"Sweetie," Sarah said as she threw her arms around his neck. Chuck had to put his arm around her waist to keep her from falling and basically dragged her into the apartment. "We had the best time." Then she whispered into his ear, still giggling. "I got Ellie drunk. It was easy. You're not mad at me are you?"

It took a while for Chuck to stop laughing. He had never seen Sarah quite like this. "I'm not mad," he assured her. "At least not at you." Then he turned to his sister. "You played her, didn't you? Pretended that you haven't hosted about a thousand sorority shot parties? That you haven't basically developed an immunity to alcohol?"

Ellie grinned. "Maybe a little," she admitted. "She may have learned about drinking at the CIAAcademy, but I went to UCLA. No contest. Besides, she is too uptight. She needed to relax a little. By the way, if you're at all worried even a little bit about where you stand with her, don't be."

"Oh yeah," an again suddenly alert Sarah exclaimed. "I almost forgot. Ellie told me to tell you how much I love you. She said that if I did, you'd believe me and maybe not be so insecure. So I love you a whole, whole, whole lot. I wanta spend the rest of my life with you and someday soon have your babies. How's that? Are you still insecure? Ellie said you wouldn't be."

That was maybe the last thing that Chuck ever expected her to say. Okay, so she was dead drunk. But he knew that she meant it, she just needed to be drunk to say it so plainly. It simply made his heart soar. When he leaned down to kiss her he could clearly taste her breath. "That was nice," he said. "I love you every bit as much." Then he turned to his sister again. "How much tequila did you pour down her tonight anyway?"

Ellie just laughed. "Enough," she said. "She's right. We had the best time. Too bad she probably won't remember much of it."

"So," Sarah said as she rested her head on his chest. "Now that you're not insecure, what's the holdup on getting you to propose? A girl can't wait forever. I'm not getting any younger, you know? Are you going to make me propose to you? I will. Ooh, I know what we can do. Let's go to bed. You can ravage me. I think that I might really like that. I'll go find my handcuffs."

"And I think that's my clue to leave you two alone," Ellie said still laughing as she headed to the door. "Have fun."

Chuck watched his sister leave. He quickly realized there would be no ravishing tonight. Sarah was softly snoring, dead asleep leaning into his chest. So he gently scooped her up and carried her to the bed. It had been quite the day. Some parts were pretty awful. But then again, she wanted him to propose.

That made it the best day of his life.

x-x-x-x-x


End file.
